Recently, Mija, who is a university student, hears about an idea to develop a canal by a television station. Mija hears that it is a good system for Korea . Therefore, she thinks that the canal is good for the country. However, a number of media inform her that the canal has two side effects, a positive side and a negative side. Therefore, Mija can not be sure whether it is beneficial or not, thus, she wants to find out more about the canal.

 

Jung bin, who is a friend of hers, observed a canal during his European trip. As Europe had a desirable system of water ways and canals, Jung bin traveled a lot of countries riding near the canal. He easily understood about the canal system and how to move about through and on those canals, because he had studied about European infrastructures and particularly the canals before his trip.

   
 

 

Nowadays, there is an argument regarding the building of a Korean peninsula canal. Also, many people are interested in a Korean canal. One side said that the number of canals has increased dramatically throughout the world. That means that establishing canals is actually a world trend. Also, there are various advantages regarding national profit. And they emphasized that the function of the canal could be used to connect Korea to other foreign countries. The other side maintains that the construction of a canal system has the possibility of environmental pollution, enormous expense in construction, and so on.

 

Therefore, they object to the canal construction.

In this reality, it is important to look into ‘a canal’, and what information would make us decide wisely as voters.

 

At the present time, canals are constructed in diverse continents around the world. Asia, Europe, Africa and America continents have canals which connect to a lot of other countries. When we classify them by each continent, the United State of America has twelve canals including Atlantic in land canal. Canada has ten canals including the Trent canal. In Asia, there is the Chinese Grand canal, Bangladesh’s T-star canal, and so forth. The total number of them is sixteen.

 

Egyptian the Suez Canal and additional three canals are placed in the Africa continent. In Europe, it possesses fifty two canals, including Greek ’s Corinthian Canal . Greece is the nation with the largest number of operating canals leading to all continents. There are various canals operating in numerous continents. There must be a reason that many countries manage canals.

 

Let’s find out two side of effects of canals; positive side and negative side.

The Netherlands is the first country that generates the most profit from using canals. The canals provide superb airport and harbor facilities, which makes assists residents of The Netherlands to speak 2 or 3 languages. It can be said that the Netherlands develops from hub of Europe to hub of the World. Now, Amsterdam which is one of the Netherlands’ cities is going to promote a huge project that can affect all of their cities. The project will include the building of a central station, and a 40km long subway section that passes through the canal under water. Its goal is to change the canal’s outskirt lands to up-to-date office buildings and to improve residential streets. Recently, the Netherlands induce Asia enterprises which want to start businesses in the Netherlands to help establish the canal as a necessity. Though, the Netherlands is a small country with only 16 million people, it has become strong, because of its hub strategy related to its canal. The Schiphol airport, which is located in the outskirts of Amsterdam and Rotterdam airport, which is the third rank in freight are connected to the Netherlands , and its formation looks like a cobweb. This cobweb connection makes economic power stronger in many ways.

Next, Panama and Nicaraguan are showing the canal’s positive effect. Currently, there is an intense canal competition on the Central American continent. Panama and Nicaraguan are the principal countries. Panama plans to make the new Panama Canal which will be 2 times bigger than it used to be by 2014.

 

Before this, Nicaraguan announced that they would make a canal that can go across the Atlantic, so Panama got puzzled. The two neighboring countries are fighting about canal expansion and the new canals construction is an issue of competition, and a matter of concern in the world.

Most experts say that Nicaraguan is determined to construct the canal, because they can expect the development of Panama’s industry to gain a colossal income. The two countries’ competition is due to the symbol and value that the canal has. The canals will be a physical distribution such as a roadway that connects continents with each other and become a source of a “Cash Cow” of profits. According to this, we can find out that the income by canal is immense.

 

Panama’s canal raised toll income of about 1.2 billion in 2005. Therefore, they look forward to increasing income to 6.2 billion by 2025. Also, after reconstructing the canal, the competition between the two countries is overheating because of the shipping service industry, harbor construction and tourism income that can be made.

 

As remarked above, the canal has a number of good points but does it always have a positive affect?

 

A German, who takes part in German environmental protection union, ‘Friends of International Earth’ and is in charge of maintaining the quality of river, said that the construction of the canal is wrong. His opinion is “Construction of canal leads to a lot of problems”. Nowadays, German canals are established by a lobby not considering economic efficiency. Nevertheless, German canals were kept well, because enterprise executives have lobbied continuously. Especially, constructing companies and a profit organization are affected by the construction of the canal.

 

Then, what is negative aspect of canal establishment?

 

In Germany , trucks and other land transportation account for 65% of all transportation on the road, 18% is railway and the rest is ships and alternative vehicles. Historically when there were no vehicles except ships, canal was significant but now it is losing its competitiveness compared to that of cars and railways. And if the canal was constructed, it can cause accidents in shipping and can pollute the environment. It is hard to change for the better; because of the low quality oil used on the canals can influence water purity.

 

In Germany , most fresh drinking water is underground water. If water pollution becomes a problem from canal construction, it can make for second, third victims. Currently, the German national railroad administration also initiates an anti-canal movement.

 

Have we thought that the canal establishment is only a trivial story so far?

There are various canals that jump over other country’s borders. Through the canals, some countries get many benefits, but the other countries are damaged by water pollution. Like this, canal construction needs cautious decision making. Now we need to deliberate as well informed decision-makers, and the thinking behind candidate’s public pledges about canal construction.

 

Interview

 

The Chung-Ang Herald met and interviewed professor, Cho won-cheol to better understand and canal and learned why canal is important thing, now. He is professor, school of civil & Env. Engineering Yonsei University . Listen up! His story about canal.

 

CAH : Can you explain a canal to university students who want to know more information about it?

 

Cho : Most people misunderstand canal construction. Using all parts of river is not necessarily important for building a canal. It just requires repairs to the banks and dredges the deep part of river for construction. Deep part of river functions as a road for ships and water vessels. Like these ways, we lessen the casualty of flood and use the water as agricultural water, and most canals can function as the road for vehicles.

 

CAH : Lately most people are concerned about canals. How can these canals affect our life beneficially?

 

Cho : Construction of a canal has both positive and negative side effects. First of all, the canal’s positive side is that it will relieve traffic jams being an alternative road to ride. Then our system of physical distribution and quantity of physical distribution will develop rapidly in 2020. Thus, construction of the canal will be decided based on the volume of traffic, the canal has been valued as an alternative road. The second is that the canal will make up a new scene of nature. The area will be lime lighted and become a new citizen’s rest place. This rest place is important to modernist. In contrast, a negative side effect is that the evaporation loss will increase so that the fog will happen more often than before.

 

Finally, considering the number of students who are interested in the construction of a canal, they should know important facts about the canal. Most people are passing over canal construction. Nature is changing all the time, but these changes go too far. We should maintain that nature is being destroyed. However, many people refuse to see this change because they think that only visible changes threaten the environment. They should not let even trivial changes cause destruction of nature. Have an open mind and accept new changes and then, try to make better. Also, do not to be afraid of making problems and endeavor to find solution rather than being a trouble maker. At present, most citizens are interested in construction of canal, youth generation has right to know about canal being acceptable or not.

 

 

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